As the countdown ended at Nasa’s Kennedy Space Centre and the Axiom Mission 4 crew rocketed toward the International Space Station early Wednesday morning, one song echoed in the mind of Indian pilot Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, “Yuh Hi Chala Chal” from Shah Rukh Khan’s 2004 film Swades.The motivational track, composed by AR Rahman and sung by Udit Narayan, Kailash Kher, and Hariharan, was Shukla’s pick for his launch-day playlist, a nod not only to his roots but to the spirit of perseverance that defines both the movie and his mission.Taking to X (formerly Twitter), Axiom Space shared the full playlist of the Ax-4 crew. While mission commander and spaceflight veteran Peggy Whitson chose Thunder by Imagine Dragons, Shukla’s Bollywood choice stood out, drawing fans’ attention back on Earth.Launched aboard a SpaceX Dragon from Florida’s Launch Complex 39A at 2:31 am ET (12 noon IST), Ax-4 marks the fourth private astronaut mission to the ISS. The crew, which includes Shukla, Whitson, Poland’s Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski, and Hungary’s Tibor Kapu, is expected to dock with the station by 4 pm IST on Thursday, June 26.The team will spend up to 14 days in orbit conducting a record 60+ experiments and commercial activities representing 31 countries, including India. Shukla’s presence marks a significant collaboration between ISRO and Nasa, with the astronauts donning advanced AxEMU spacesuits developed for future Moon missions.In a poetic reflection of Swades, where an Indian-origin Nasa scientist rediscovers purpose in rural India, Shukla now carries that spirit into orbit, proving once again that science, like music, knows no borders.
